Lewis Hamilton: Ferrari are the favorites, but Mercedes 'will attack'
Lewis Hamilton says that Ferrari has to be the favorite heading into the Montreal weekend – but he’s hopeful Mercedes has addressed the issues that has hampered it in recent races.
In Monaco, Hamilton had a disastrous qualifying session as he struggled to get his tires into the right operating window.
“We’ve obviously seen that Ferrari are quickest at the moment, so they’re the favorites,” said Hamilton. “But we’ve worked very hard to rectify the issues we had in the last race, and [we will] attack this weekend. We’ve got some unique bits on the car I think which will work well this weekend, but it doesn’t mean we can’t take the fight to them.
“We’ve definitely done some analysis, but we’ll find whether or not there’s new things we can improve on this weekend," he added.
When asked about the tyre situation, he said: “You push or you drive slowly, depending on the temperature of the circuit, and when you come to do your laps sometimes they’re ready and sometimes they’re not. Sometimes the tires feel exactly the same when you leave the garage, and sometimes they grip up. It’s the same for every tyre.”
Meanwhile, Hamilton admits he has a soft spot for Montreal, where he scored his first Grand Prix win a decade ago.
“Obviously, having the amazing experience I had in 2007; I remember standing on the podium and looking down at my dad and just seeing the biggest smile I’d ever seen in my life on his face, which was a very proud moment," said Hamilton. "And then, since then, just every year I come, I’ve just grown a lot with Canada and with Montreal, and the following has grown along the time, ten years, and so a lot of my time when I see get here is spectacular.
“You definitely feel the energy," he added. "Here is such a great race; the weather’s generally really good, the circuit’s incredible and unique to its own, the city’s one of the greatest cities. I’ve not been here when it’s not been a grand prix, but there’s a huge buzz here. I love being here. I try and get here a bit early, because the food’s great, the people are great, and I generally get left alone, so it’s a good weekend."
Regarding the track itself, Hamilton is excited about the opportunities to pass.
“I think it’s just a bit like once you get to the corners it’s a bit like a go-kart track, and long straights added to that, so it creates lots of opportunities for overtaking, you can follow here a little bit better than perhaps at other circuits, it’s a lot more of a mechanical, technical circuit, and it suits well an aggressive driving style I guess I would say," he said. "So all of that means you have to be generally more aggressive than we can be at other circuits.”
